Light (mythology)

Phrixos and Helle

In Greek mythology, Helle is the daughter of King Athamas of Thebes and the Nephele .

From the hatred of her stepmother Ino , Helle flees to Colchis with her brother Phrixos on the golden, flying ram Chrysomallos sent by her mother . When they fly over the Dardanelles , Helle looks down forbidden, is seized with dizziness and falls into the sea. This is how the old name Hellespont ("sea of ​​light") for this strait was born.

Friedrich Schiller gives another interpretation of the story in his ballad Hero and Leander . According to Schiller, it was the god of the sea who fell in love with light and drew her from the ram to himself into the depths. There he transformed her into an immortal goddess and made her his wife.

literature

• Gerhard Fink : Who's who of ancient mythology . Deutscher Taschenbuch Verlag 1993, ISBN 3-423-30362-X , p. 126

Web links

Commons : Helle  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files